Tag Archives: exposure

So here I am, thinking about dropping some hard earned cash on another camera system. I’ve definitely been a sucker for hype and the latest generation of cameras have lured hours of my attention from actual work. Maybe I was going to procrastinate either way, but at the end of this tunnel, I will probably be losing a hefty amount of cash to replace it with several hundred grams of magnesium alloy housing some serious CMOS circuitry.

Photographer or Photo Enthusiast?

As large camera manufacturers start churning out the hype machines, many photo-enthusiasts will start salivating for these new imaging monsters; bigger resolution, better dynamic range, higher sensitivity, faster processing, more connectivity, etc. It’s enough to make you go out and justify maxing out your credit card in order to ignite a spark that hasn’t been lit since the last time you purchased a camera.

But before you do that, you need to ask yourself this question: What do I need this for? It’s pretty simple but for many, this could be like walking through a land mine.

It doesn’t matter how good your gear is, if you’re not going out there photographing then you’ve purchased yourself an expensive paper weight. This sunrise shot of the Sydney Harbour Bridge was captured at 5am. I’m not an early bird but when you get shots like this, it’s enough to get me out of bed!

As mirrorless cameras start eating away at DSLR sales worldwide, the old guard of photography; primarily Nikon, Canon and Pentax have been trying to stop the hemorrhaging of their entry level and enthusiast range of cameras.

To this day, nothing excites me more than placing my eye against my Canon 5D Mk III eye piece and seeing a tried and tested system in that reflex but for many, it’s totally unnecessary to carry a bigger, heavier camera all for the sake of that mirror box . You see, many families now want great image quality without carrying the big DSLR, these mirrorless cameras can provide just that but on the other end of the spectrum, enthusiasts might require a sturdier built machine that can withstand nature’s elements.

“You will never regret, even a second, the images produced by this sensor”.

That being said, with the A7 series announced back in October 2013, Sony had already declared war to Canon and Nikon with this new category of weapons stating new references on the market especially with the A7s in terms of ISO performances. This series was very well engineered right from scratch and no one can deny its success now. The A7II is thus a refinement of the A7 featuring new assests/ skills that we have been discussing in the first part here.

As you already know, I loved how handy and well built this camera is. It is very practical and easy to use even though I think I could use one more customizable button. I also had to point a few flaws but they are not significant considering the qualities and the delight that this camera will offer you! So I am now going to test and review the image quality, for those who cannot put $3200 on the table to splurge on the all new A7rII (body only), the A7II offers already a great quality enjoyable for most of us, enthusiats and even pro-photographers — as I discussed here in a previous article — for half the price, $1600 body only.

Image Quality

It is clear that the image quality depends on the lens you are using. It is then difficult to establish a clear ranking unless you do scientific tests and multiple comparisons with different cameras with the same lenses like DxOlab would do. Continue reading Sony A7II: Field Test! (Part2)→

I know spring is coming but let’s rewind a little bit to this blizzard we underwent during this winter because it offered very interesting things. So how do you photograph extreme conditions in a way nobody does? It depends on the way you look at it.

Part 1 of this series had a common approach winter photography, mostly from a landscape photography point of view. Here, I wanted to explore the situation with a different eye. I wanted to look at perspectives that people wouldn’t see by themselves. I wanted to look at those tiny things that we would forget, but that the camera lens can make us see differently, thanks to the depth of field and bokeh that our eye cannot reproduce naturally.

Aurelien is our very first talented photographer that iLHP is glad to showcase thanks to our Flickr Group. His astral photographs and landscape shots are simply outstanding. We’re glad not only to showcase his work but also to provide you with an exclusive interview.

EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM | 16mm; f/11; 1/175 sec; 100 ISO

iLHP: Hi Aurelien, I’m very glad to have you here as our first iLHP Flickr group winner! Congratulations, your work is outstanding! Please tell us more about yourself?

Aurelien: Hi Chris, I’m 30 years old, I’m a sports teacher in France. I’m not a professional photographer, just a passionate amateur.

Reflections and shadows can be a good way to catch silhouettes. Like wet areas, bitumen… for their minimalist aspects: (16mm, f/11, 1/60 sec, 250 ISO). This picture has been taken at sunset.

The silhouetted shot is one very poetic way to express photography. I must admit that it is really one of my favorite photography field! Making silhouettes is more like evoking your subject rather than describing it. It is about illustrating rather than telling. It is a subtil play with shadows and light. It is about creating a painting with masses rather than fine details or colors. Silhouettes can genuinely enrich one’s range of creativity in the field of photography. What I love about this technique is that it allows the reader to invest himself more in your creation and imagine the details that are missing. It is mysterious poetry in a photograph. Continue reading Techniques: The Silhouetted Shot→